Gov. McDonnell endorses Romney

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney on Friday morning, hailing the Republican candidate as the “results-oriented conservative” whom the country needs in the White House.

“I’ve decided to support Mitt Romney. I think he’s a results-oriented conservative, I think he’s the best leader to get America back on track to create jobs, to get this national debt under control, and I’m delighted to be supporting Mitt Romney,” McDonnell said in an appearance on CNBC.

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Regarded as a rising star in the GOP, McDonnell has been the governor of Virginia since 2010, and currently serves as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He’s also been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate.

“I think he’s got steady momentum. A lot of candidates have been up and down in this race. Mitt Romney has been the one who has been steady and garnering support,” he said. “Look, we’ve got great candidates in the race, any one of them would be better than President Obama in being a strong leader, creating jobs and getting our debt under control, but Mitt Romney’s got a proven record, he’s a results-oriented conservative, and he’s got the record of creating jobs.”

McDonnell said that Saturday’s primary in South Carolina convinced him that it was time for him to jump in with an official endorsement. “It’s a Southern primary — I’m a Southern governor and I thought I could help the governor by coming out today,” he said.

The governor also touted Romney as a Republican with the ability to “win Democrats and independents to our cause” while continuing to stick to his principles. “If you want to win the race in November, vote for Mitt Romney. He’s the best candidate that we’ve got to beat President Obama,” he said.

In a statement announcing McDonnell’s support, Romney called the governor’s leadership in Virginia “an example for the rest of the nation.”

“Gov. McDonnell has used the conservative principles of keeping taxes and spending low and creating a fair regulatory climate to make Virginia a top destination for job creators,” said Romney. “These same principles can be used in Washington to fix our economy and make government accountable to the taxpayers.”

McDonnell’s spokesman Tucker Martin told POLITICO that McDonnell will join the GOP front-runner at a rally in Charleston at 4 p.m. EST on Friday and appear at a number of events in Greenville Friday evening and Saturday morning.